Karl gotthelf fieke



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

K. G. PIEKE.

GAR BRAKE.

No. 519,993. Patented May 15, 1894.

Witnesses In ve n-tor m I-AI'IONAL umocmuwma cowuuv,

wunmarou. :4 c.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

K. G. PIEKE. GAR BRAKE.

No. 519,993. Patented May 15, 1894.

W nessas Invenior UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE...

KARL GOTTHELF FIEKE, OF DRESDEN, GERMANY.

CAR-BRAKE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 519,993, dated May 15,1894.

Application filed February 2, 1893. Serial No. 460,796. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, KARL GOTTHELF FIEKE, a sub ect of the King ofSaxony, residing at Dresden, Saxony, German Empire, have inventedcertain new and usefulImprovements 1n Railway-Brakes, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to railway brakes and consists in so constructingthe brake mechanism that, when the brake is applied at the engine, therespective buffers of the carr ages, brought into contact by the suddenresistance, mutually yield, and thereby displace a series of levers,rods, and cams or wedges WhlCh operate the brake-shoes acting on thewheels. A most effective brake-action is obtamed by this means inasmuchas the arrangement is calculated to absorb or store up theresultantpower generated by the combination of the weight and impact of thecarrlages in motion and to transmit such power to the block or shoe ofthe brake. One ad vantage of this brake-mechanism over other similardevices known hitherto is, that the arrangement of levers or rods iscontinuous and connects the buffers on either side both with each otherand with the bufiers of the opposite side, so that the buders of oneside 1n yielding to pressure, operate not only the brakes immediatelyadjoining them, but also those located at the opposite end of thecarriage while the two buffers at each end are adapted to act jointly.This will be found to be the most rational brake-arrangement firstbecause it overcomes and as it were compensates the force of traction orpull which it is the object of a brake to overcome; but the second andby far more important reason is that this brake is arranged to actwithout any assistance from man, whereas vacuum brakes and the likerequire, as is Well known, the services of an attendant, whereby therisk is increased. This brake operates automatically the moment thetrain meets with any obstacle, however small. It may be assumed safelyenough that where there is immediate danger of an actual collision oftwo trains taking place the respective engine drivers or firemen willnot overlook this and by promptly operating the brake at the engine ortender of each train, minimize and most likely avert the disaster. Butin the worst case, where through neglect or any other cause, thecollision has not been prevented in time, what this brake-arrangementcertainly will prevent is, the telescoping of the carriages, nowinvariably consequent upon such accident, for each carriage on receivingthe shock will instantly stand still under the action of its own brakedevice. 50 Should any one of the central carriages be driven off themetals by the shock, instead of (as it hithertowould do) upsetting withit part or all of the following carriages and thereby causing greatdamage and loss of life it will 6 5 be destroyed or wrecked alone, andform an obstacle for the next succeeding carriage whose brake it willimmediately set in operation. This and the remaining carriages beingtherefore each energetically braked, the consequences of the disasterare reduced to a minimum. The advantages-of this brakearrangement willalso be appreciated in the usual pilot work at termini and stations,viz., forming and dividing trains and arranging them on the diiferentlines or sidings. Suppose that a portion of a train is slipped oif andallowed to run down an incline by its own weight. It is only necessaryto set the brakes of the dilferent carriages when it will So besuificient for one man to stop the foremost carriage by means of a poleor the like, to cause all the subsequent carriages instantaneously tostop under the vigorous action of their brakes, so that sections oftrains can no longer run up against each other as they frequently do atpresent, causing damage in many cases. An apparent objection is theincrease in the cost of construction of the carriages if each is tocarry its own brake-mecho anism. But it may be pointed out in the firstplace that all existing brakes may be used in connection with theimproved rod and lever arrangement herein described, while on the otherhand any extra expense will be 5 amply compensated by reducing the staffof brakemen.

Figure 1 is a side elevation partly in sec tion. section on the line xc,Fig. 2.

tion, of a car truck provided with my inven- Fig. 2 is a top plan view.Fig. 3 is a Fig. 4 is a side elevation of a car truck provided with amodified form of brake mechanism. Fig. 5 is a top-plan view showingmodification of mechanism for turning the brake rods.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which a arethe bufferrods located within the frame I) and connected by cross-piecesc. In these cross-pieces are supported the rods cl extending beyond theends of the frame I) and terminating in squares. Upon these rods arearranged tappets or cams e which as shown in Figs. 1 to 3, may bebrought into engagement with the projecting arms of alever arrangementg. From this lever-arrangement are suspended the brake-shoes h which byoperation of the levers are whenrequired firmly pressed against thewheels 2'. When two adjoining carriages are pushed against each other sothat their buffers meet, and their springs are compressed inwardly thisalso causes the crosspieces 0 to move inward. These in their turndisplace the rods d securely fixed to them, and the tappets or cams eengage the lever arms f. Upon the revoluble pivots f of these aremounted the arms g which are turned thereby and move the lever-arms gcloser together. These arms carry along with them the arms 9 turning onthe fixed pivot 9 secured to the main frame Z). The brake-shoes h arepivoted to, or suspended from, the

arms 9 which in approaching each other cause these brake-shoes to befirmly pressed againstthe wheel tires 13. It will be observed that oneof the rods d only is permanently secured in one of the cross-bars c ofthe bufferrods a, while the other rod 01 is movable in that cross-bar.The cams e are so adjusted that one rod d, being capable of sliding inone direction, say from right to left, is adapted to operate thebrakesof one side of the carriage, while the other rod 01 movable from lefitto right operates the brakes on the other s1 e.

Tov enable the brake-action of the buffers to be temporarily suppressed,say at stations, in arranging trains by means of pilot engines, the rods(1 d are revoluble and their ends extending beyond the ends of the frameZ) may be provided with a square each as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, wherebywith the assistance of a suitable key or tool the said rods d may beturned and the cams e disconnected from the arms f of thelever-mechanism 9. For this purpose lever-arms may be provided andarranged to turn on a pivot or spindle between the said rods d. Sucharms, being connected by rods, enable the lever to be reversed or turnedout of engagement. Or the rotation of the rods d maybe provided for in amore simple manner, viz., by the arrangement of a spindle threaded towork in connection with worm-wheels mounted upon the said rods (1 asillustrated by Figs. 4 and 5. These views, Figs. 4 and 5, representmoreover a modification of the brake-mechanism. The brake shoes h arehere wedge-shaped and so arranged that the wedges or cams eof the rods dturned downward move and act upon them and press them against thewheels, which enables the whole of the above-mentioned lever arrangementto be dispensed wlth. For this purpose the rods 01 dshould be arrangedjust above the wheels on both sides of the frame and centrally divided,at which point they carry a connecting sleeve d in wh ch they may bedisplaced longitudinally whlle they are prevented from turning by asuitable groove and tongue arrangement. The sleeve 01' carries theworm-wheel 7t and spindle Z adapted to be turned by means of a key orcrank m at either side of the carriage and provided with worm threads.In this arrangement each pair of buffers connected by a cross-bar 0 actsupon the brake-shoes arranged over the pair ofwheels situated on thesame side while the brake-rods d may be turned together by means of aworm spindle when it is required to throw the brakes out of operation.

I claim- 1. In a brake mechanism for cars, the combination with therunning gear, the buffers, the longitudinally movable brake rodsconnected with said buffers, of the projections mounted on said rods andco-operating with the brake to apply the same to the wheels;substantially as described.

2. In a brake mechanism for cars, the combination with the running gear,the buffers, the longitudinally movable and rotary brake rods connectedwith said buffers, of the projections mounted on said rods, co-operatingwith the brake, but capable of being thrown out of operative positionwhen the rod is turned; and means for rotating said rods; substantiallyas described.

3. In a brake mechanism for cars, the com bination with the truck frame,the buffers mounted at each end of the frame, one on each side thereof,of the two longitudinally movable and rotary brake rods carryingprojections for co-operating with the brake to apply the same, oneconnected with the buffers at one end of the car, and the other with thebuffers at the opposite end, whereby the brakes are applied to thewheels on one side of the car only; substantially as described.

4. In a brake mechanism, the combination with the buffers; thelongitudinally movable and rotary brake-rods provided with lugs orprojections, co-operating with the brake to apply the same, the wormgears mounted on said rods, of the rods journaled in bearings on thetruck frame and extending'across the same, provided with pinions meshingwith the worms on the rods, whereby when said transverse rod is turned,the longitudinal rods will jections will be brought into co-operationwith IO be thrown out of operation; substantially as the brake shoes andthe brakes applied; subdescribed. stantially as described.

5. In a brake mechanism, the combination In testimony whereof I havehereunto set with the running gear, the buffers, the longimy hand in thepresence of two witnesses.

tudinalrods provided with the inclined pro- KARL GOTTHELF FIEKE.jections, of the brake shoes inclined in the Witnesses:

opposite direction from said projections, BUD. SCHMIDT,

whereby when the rods are moved the pro- HERNANDO DE SOTO.

